Teeth Accidents – Trauma and Impact on Children’s Teeth

Teeth accidents happen, and they happen frequently with kids! If your child falls over or knocks a tooth, it’s normal for you to worry. However, there isn’t always need to stress. Sometimes trauma to a tooth will have almost no effect whatsoever on your child’s baby teeth or adult tooth, but it can be difficult to tell.

Things to look out for both immediately after and in the short term after your child knocks a tooth are:

–        Grey or black discolouration of the tooth

–        Frequent bleeding or cuts to the gums which may need treatment

–        Breakage or chipping of the tooth that is sharp to your child’s tongue

–        Pain, sensitivity to hot or cold or aching around the area

It’s important to have the traumatised tooth examined by a dental professional to ensure there is no serious damage to the adult tooth, bone or soft tissues. Sometimes hard knocks can cause the nerve inside the tooth to die. This is the most common cause of discolouration and a greyish appearance of the tooth. Usually, the tooth can be left in place until it naturally falls out, however sometimes we need to extract the tooth if it is stunted. If your child has split their lip or cheek, they may need stitches to heal these lacerations. Remember that injuries to the mouth often bleed heavily – they tend to look a lot worse than they really are. Try not to panic as this may alarm your child, and come in to see us to ensure everything is okay.

If you’re unsure, contact your local My Kids Dentist for an appointment.